STS-124, Kibo to the ISS Options

[David]

Discovery is currently being fueled on pad 39A.

[karolp]

I've just read the press kit for STS-124 and it turns out that out of the 7 people going up, 5 are going into space for the very first time, with the other 2 having flown once and twice respectively - the commander has flown earlier twice as a pilot, and Mission Specialist-3 has flown once before. Also, the fuel tank used in this mission is the first redesigned version actually used after return to flight. The tanks used previously were fitted with modifications in the post-production process.

[Marz]

Looks like they've saved the best module for last; Kibo's the largest and has compartments for exposing experiments to space.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/...ements/jem.html

The weather looks great too; clear skies and not too windy.

[ugordan]

Where can one find the ground track map for launch? It appears it should pass right overhead for me so I thought about going out for a look.

[karolp]

Where can one find the ground track map for launch? It appears it should pass right overhead for me so I thought about going out for a look.

Hi ugordan,

Try:

http://heavens-above.com/?Loc=Zagreb&L...=131&TZ=CET

After it launches. I have been using this service since 1999 and it is perfect not only for the shuttle but also for observing the ISS and other satellites.

[ugordan]

Thanks, karolp. I use Heavens Above for ISS flyovers, but I wasn't sure how quickly STS orbits are input there.

[karolp]

The orbit of Discovery is going to be very similar to that of the ISS since they are going to dock eventually :-) Therefore, even if the parameters are not there on time, assuming a flyover pattern similar to the station would be a pretty good guess.

[ugordan]

Yes, but while ISS orbit is fixed in inertial space (more or less), its ground track is not. Earth is rotating underneath and two objects sharing same the same orbit with one trailing in its orbit will have different groundtracks. How much different depends on how long it takes for the trailing one to cross the separation.

[jmjawors]

This is not entirely what you were asking for, but this is what I use when looking for overflights of STS/ISS:

LINK

Just plug in your location and voila!

(I'm not sure if this map will include the shuttle or not once it launches)

[Guest_Zvezdichko_*]

Hmm... how are they going to relocate the logistic module? It's currently attached to Harmony, but in the final configuration it has to be attached to the main Kibo module. As far as I see, there are only three EVAs planned

[Marcel]

I have been searching the web for typical trajectories of the space shuttle for a long time now.
Anyone knows where to find graphs showing height, downrange distance, speed, acceleration, weight, etc. in time during launch (until orbit insertion) ?

[jmjawors]

Hmm... how are they going to relocate the logistic module? It's currently attached to Harmony, but in the final configuration it has to be attached to the main Kibo module. As far as I see, there are only three EVAs planned

I don't recall the exact timelines, but the logistics module will be closed up and relocated to its final location using the station's robotic arm. I am not sure if the EVA'ers will have to assist much with that task.

Marcel, I'm sure such documentation exists somewhere, but I don't know where you might find it. The commentators on NASA TV do read off that info during their coverage of launch, though.

[Guest_Zvezdichko_*]

Thank you. I suppose thy will just attach the arm to the module.

[Stu]

WOW!!!!!!!!! Just saw the orbiter and ET flying in formation thru the sky over kendal... ET very distinctive orange colour, orbiter blue-white, less than a degree apart... sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet ;-)

[jmjawors]

Successful launch!